Carton handling device



2,994,173 CARTON HANDLING DEVICE William Wilson Herrick, Stamford, Conn, assignor to Pitney-Bowes, Inc., Stamford, 'Conn., a corporation of Delaware Filed Dec. 8, 1958, Ser. No. 778,719 Claims. (Cl. 53382) This invention relates to a carton handling device, and more particularly, to a device for opening a releasably closed side wall of cartons.

It is the practice in at least most of the several States to apply a tax stamp to packages of cigarettes to be sold, this by printing or otherwise applying the stamp directly on the respective packages. An example of a machine for so applying these tax stamps by printing is disclosed in US. Patent No. 2,090,919 granted to I. A. Strother et al. In preparing cartons containing packages of cigarettes to be operated upon by tax stamp applying machines, it is customary first to open a side wall of the cartons thereby to expose the bottoms of the respective cigarette packages for access thereto by the stamp applying means.

It is one object of this invention to provide a new and improved device for so opening a side wall of such cartons.

A further object of the invention is to provide such a device which is adjustable within limits sufficient to accommodate variations in the size of successive cartons.

A further object of this invention is to provide such a device which includes novel means effective to bow a free end of said side wall away from the adjacent edge of an end wall of the cartons preparatory to opening of the side wall.

A further object of this invention is to provide such a device which is simple in construction, dependable in operation and inexpensive to manufacture.

Further objects and advantages will become apparent as the description proceeds.

A preferred embodiment of the invention is shown in the accompanying drawings wherein:

FIG. 1 is a fragmentary perspective view of a device embodying the invention, a carton being shown just prior to entry into the side wall bowing means;

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary end and elevational view thereof but partly in section at a location slightly in front of the side wall bowing means, a carton being shown after entry of the leading end thereof into the side wall bowing means but before a flap opening shoe has opened the leading portion of the releasably closed side wall;

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary perspective view corresponding to a portion of the structure shown in FIG. 1 but with the respective carton at the location at which the shoe has just opened the leading flap portion of the carton;

FIG. 4 is a sectional, side elevational view broken away at each end and showing the respective carton as having progressed slightly past the position shown in FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a perspective view on a reduced scale of a carton after the side wall thereof has been opened by a device according to the invention.

Referring to FIGS. 1 through 4, a device embodying the instant invention is shown as including a support generally designated by the reference numeral 10. Support provides a channel shaped guideway defined by a base 12 and a pair of upstanding walls 14, 14. Walls 14, 14 are discontinuous to provide for the reception of a pair of feed rollers, 16, 16 rotatably supported by hearing brackets 18 (only one of which is shown in FIG. 1).

Rollers 16, 16, brackets 18, and the guideway formed by base 12 and walls 14, 14 are or may be identical with their respective counterparts in the device disclosed in US. Patent No. 2,595,122 granted to E. C. Burhans. Rollers 16, 16 are power-driven, and for further details concerning these rollers and their operation reference may be made to this last-mentioned patent.

A typical carton upon which a device according to the invention is operable is shown in FIG. 5 after having been opened. This carton includes end walls E and four side walls SW. The uppermost side wall as viewed in each of the figures of the drawings and which will, merely for the purposes of this description, be hereinafter referred to as the uppermost side wall, is provided by a pair of flaps F1 and F2, respectively. Flaps F1 and F2 are folded along lines defining the lateral edges of the uppermost side wall and are disposed in releasably closed, overlapping relation with each other. Flaps F1 and F2 are retained in closed condition by means such as several spots G of glue, cement or the like between the mating surfaces of the respective flaps. It will be noted that the leading and trailing ends of flaps F1 and F2 are free; that is, these respective ends are not a continuation of, connected with or folded to lie against the respectively adjacent end wall. Among other types of cartons upon which the device of the instant invention is operable is the one which is similar to that shown in FIG. 5 but with which flap F1 has extensions at each end folded and tucked into the carton against the respectively adjacent end walls E. Such a carton is shown in FIG. 2 of the above-mentioned patent to E. C. Burhans. A device embodying this invention is operable as well on this last-described type of carton so long as the leading and trailing ends of the uppermost side wall thereof are first cut or otherwise separated from the respective end walls to render them free.

Carried by support 10' is a mounting member 20 having an angular extension 22 terminating in a pair of spaced, open-ended slots 24, 24. Each one of a pair of nuts 26, 26 is threaded on a bolt which is fixedly carried by one of walls 14 and received within one of slots 24, 24. Nuts 26, 26 when tightened by means such as handles 28, 28 respectively carried thereby, serve to secure mounting member 20 in adjusted relation on upstanding wall 14 of support 10.

Mounting member 20 provides an extension 32 carrying a pair of spaced, side wall-bowing members 34- and 36. In the embodiment shown in the drawings, member 34 takes the form of a strip of spring material extending from one end portion which is secured to extension 32 by means such as screws 38, forwardly and then reversely to the rear to present a surface 40 engageable with the lateral edges of said uppermost side wall of the respective cartons. Member 34 continues in a reverse direction to its opposite end which, in the unfiexed condition of FIG. 1, terminates adjacent the other end. Member 36 is shown in the drawings as being provided by an integral part of extension 32. Member 36 likewise provides a surface 42 engageable with the lateral edge of said uppermost side wall opposite the lateral edge engaged by surface 40 of member 34. The surface 40 of member 34 is yieldingly urged against the adjacent surface of extension 32 and toward surface 42 of member 36 so that, upon entry of the leading end of a carton as shown in FIG. 2, the lateral edges of said uppermost side wall are urged toward each other to longitudinally how the leading free end of the side wall away from the adjacent edge of the leading end wall E. In this regard, surfaces 40 and 42 of members 34 and 36, respectively, converge in the direction of movement of the cartons along the guideway whereby the space therebetween becomes less than the width of said uppermost side wall with the result that surface 40 of member 34 will be flexed laterally outwardly as indicated in FIGS. 2 and 3 and, under the re sulting pressure exerted by members 34 and 36 against the lateral edges of said uppermost side wall, the leading free end of the uppermost side wall will be longitudinally bowed.

A shoe 44 is provided for opening the uppermost side wall of the respective cartons as the latter move therepast. Shoe 44- is carried adjacent one end thereof by mounting member such as with screws 46, 46 which extend through apertures in mounting member 20 into threaded engagement with the shoe. Shoe 44 presents a smooth surface to the respective cartons as the latter move along the guideway, which surface extends from mounting member 29 along a gradually inclined portion 4-8 to a more gradually inclined portion 50. This surface also gradually tapers from the end carried by mounting member 20 to the rearwardly extending end thereof, this tapered end being located relative to the guideway for entry between the bowed, leading free end of said uppermost side wall and the adjacent edge of the leading end wall of the respective cartons.

In operation, a first carton with its uppermost side wall closed, as described above, is placed in the guideway formed by base 12 and upstanding walls 14, 14 and then moved forwardly to bring the leading end of the carton to the position shown in FIG. 1 at which the leading portions of the lateral edges of said uppermost side wall are just prior to engaging surfaces and 42 as provided by members 36, 36 respectively. Upon continued forward movement of the respective cartons along the guideway, surfaces 49 and 42 come into engagement with and urge the leading portions of these lateral edges toward each other resulting in longitudinal bowing of the leading free end of said side wall of the carton away from the adjacent edge of the leading end wall E as depicted in FIG. 2.

It is to be noted that surfaces 46 and 42 diverge in the direction toward the guideway thereby retaining the respective cartons thereagainst to ensure seating of the cartons in the guideway as they move therealong. The tapered end of shoe 44 is located relative to the guideway for entry thereof between said bowed free end of the uppermost side wall and the adjacent edge of the leading end wall of the respective cartons. As each of the cartons moves past the shoe, the latter gradually urges flaps F1 and F2 outwardly in opposite directions and along each other thereby to break apart the glued portion G between the leading portions of these flaps as depicted in FIGS. 3 and 4. It will be apparent that continued forward movement of the respective carton results in breaking apart of the successive glued portions of flaps F1 and P2 with the result that upon moving past the shoe, flaps F1 and F2 will be opened as shown in FIG. 5 to expose the bottoms of the cigarette packages contained within the carton. After a first carton has been started past shoe 44-, successive cartons can be placed in the guideway and pushed forwardly against the preceding carton to move the leading end of the latter between feed rollers 16, 16 which effect further forward movement thereof as described in the above-mentioned patent to Burhans. As also described in this patent, the guideway can be continued with provision for swinging flaps F1 and P2 of the successive cartons back against the respectively adjacent side walls thereof preparatory to entry of the cartons into a tax stamping machine.

In order to accommodate variations in the size of successive cartons, means is provided for adjustably setting the location of the tapered end of shoe 44 relative to the guideway. In this regard, extension 22 of mounting member 20 provides a pair of spaced apertures through which a pair of screws 52 extend into threaded engagement with a pair of eccentrically mounted elements or discs 54, 54, the latter being spaced apart in the direction of movement along the guideway of the respective cartons. Each of discs 54, 54 is engageable with the upper surface of one of upstanding walls 14 of support 10 and each is lockably secured in adjusted rotational position about the axis of its respective screw 52 by tightening the latter. It will be apparent that by adjusting the rotational position of discs 54, 54 prior to tightening nuts 26, 26, said discs will adjustably set the position of the tapered end of shoe 44 relative to the guideway. By accurately setting this adjusted position, variations in size of successive cartons upon which the device operates will be accommodated. With the provision of two discs 54, 54, the latter adjustably set the pivotal as well as the rectilinear adjustment of shoe 44 relative to the guideway.

As will be clear from this disclosure and that of the above-mentioned patent to Burhans, mounting plate 20 along with the bowing means and shoe 44 carried thereby can be utilized as an attachment capable of being substituted for blade 12 and supporting bracket 19 of this patent (in which case guide 21 of this patent would be removed or swung out of the way about one of posts 23, 23a) for opening cartons whose uppermost side wall has free ends.

Since many changes could be made in the embodiment of the invention as particularly described and shown therein without departing from the scope of the invention, it is intended that this embodiment be considered as exemplary and that the invention not be limited except as warranted by the following claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A device for operating upon cartons to open a releasably closed side wall thereof having free ends, said device comprising a support including means for guiding said cartons during movement therealong with said side wall exposed, a mounting member carried by said support in adjustable relation toward and away from said guiding means, adjustable means carried by said mounting member and cooperable With said support for setting said adjustable relation, said member carrying means for urging the lateral edges of said side wall at the leading end of each of the cartons toward each other to longitudinally bow the leading free end of the side wall away from the adjacent edge of the leading end wall, and said member carrying a shoe having a tapered end located relative to said guiding means for entry between said bowed free end of the side wall and said adjacent edge whereby said releasably closed side wall is opened as the respective cartons move past the shoe.

2. The device as set forth in claim 1 wherein said adjustable means comprises a pair of rotatable eccentric elements engageable with said support and spaced apart in the direction of movement of said cartons, each of said eccentric elements being lockably secured in rotational position by a screw threadedly engaged therewith.

3. A device for operating upon cartons to open a releasably closed side wall thereof having free ends, said device comprising a mounting member, a shoe carried by said mounting member, said shoe being tapered along at least a portion thereof to an end, said end of the shoe being adapted for entry between one of said free ends of said side wall and the adjacent edge of an end wall of successive cartons preparatory to opening of the side wall thereof by the shoe, and means carried by said mounting member for urging the lateral edges of said side wall adjacent said one free end thereof toward each other to longitudinally bow said free end away from said adjacent edge of said last-mentioned end wall preparatory to said entry of the tapered end of the shoe therebetween, said last-named means including a pair of spaced members, at least one of said members being yieldingly urged toward the other, each of said members presenting a surface engageable with said cartons at one of said lateral edges thereof, and said surfaces converging gradually in the direction toward said tapered end of the shoe for gradually effecting said longitudinal bowing of said one free end of the side Wall.

4. A device for operating upon cartons to open a releasably closed side Wall thereof having free ends, said device comprising a support including means for guiding said cartons during movement therealong with said side wall exposed, means for urging the lateral edges of said side Wall at the leading end of each of the cartons toward each other to longitudinally bow the leading free end of the side wall away from the adjacent edge of the leading end wall, said last-named means comprising a pair of spaced members, each of said members presenting a surface engageable with said cartons at one of said lateral edges thereof, said surfaces converging in the direction of movement of the cartons, at least one of 15 said members being yieldingly urged toward the other,

and a shoe having a tapered end located relative to said guiding means for entry between said bowed free end of said side wall and said adjacent edge whereby said releasably closed side wall is opened as the respective cartons move past the shoe.

5. The device as set forth in claim 4 wherein said surfaces of the spaced members diverge in the direction toward said guideway for retaining the respective cartons thereagainst.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,893,496 Ferguson Jan. 10, 1933 2,216,884 Knott Oct. 8, 1940 2,890,560 Nigrelli June 16, 1959 

